Freddie Mercury | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/music/freddie-mercury
Latest news and features from theguardian.com, the world's leading liberal voiceen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2017Fri, 18 Aug 2017 04:04:05 GMT2017-08-18T04:04:05Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2017The Guardianhttps://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttps://www.theguardian.com
The night Freddie Mercury chatted me up in Heavenhttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/nov/13/the-night-freddie-mercury-chatted-me-up-in-heaven
<p>It’s 1983, London’s gay club scene is pulsating and Mark Langthorne is working at one of the capital’s most infamous bars, when he finds himself alone with the Queen frontman…</p><p>I was 21 years old, and had been in London for almost a year. I wanted to be a playwright. By night I worked as a barman in the notorious Cellar Bar, a gay leather bar which was part of the nightclub <a href="http://heavennightclub-london.com/">Heaven</a>. It was 1983. </p><p>The dress code at the Cellar Bar was really strict, no exceptions. We would dress up in the whole look each night: leather, rubber or denim and boots, to really look the part. It was heady, sweaty. It was a show. The money was great – meaning the tips, which was unusual in London.</p><p>Darling, don’t worry, they know me here. Don’t be shy, I will bite</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/nov/13/the-night-freddie-mercury-chatted-me-up-in-heaven">Continue reading...</a>Life and styleFreddie MercuryMusicCultureSun, 13 Nov 2016 06:00:10 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/nov/13/the-night-freddie-mercury-chatted-me-up-in-heavenPhotograph: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesMark Langthorne2016-11-13T06:00:10ZBryan Singer to direct Freddie Mercury biopichttps://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/nov/07/bryan-singer-direct-freddie-mercury-biopic-bohemian-rhapsody
<p>Director of The Usual Suspects and X-Men is latest choice to helm story of Queen frontman, which has been in development for eight years</p><p>Bryan Singer is set to direct Bohemian Rhapsody, a biopic focusing on the band Queen and their frontman Freddie Mercury.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/nov/04/rami-malek-mr-robot-freddie-mercury-queen-biopic">Mr Robot star Rami Malek to play Freddie Mercury in Queen biopic</a> </p><p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMZ6QbxDpcS/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#bohemianrhapsody #queen #freddiemercury #brianmay #rogertaylor #johndeacon #grahamking #fox #newregency Looking forward to @ramimalek @whoismrrobot playing #Freddie photo @therealmickrock</a></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/nov/07/bryan-singer-direct-freddie-mercury-biopic-bohemian-rhapsody">Continue reading...</a>Bryan SingerFilmQueenFreddie MercuryCultureMusicBiopicsMon, 07 Nov 2016 09:03:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/nov/07/bryan-singer-direct-freddie-mercury-biopic-bohemian-rhapsodyPhotograph: Mario Anzuoni/REUTERSPhotograph: Mario Anzuoni/REUTERSAlan Evans2016-11-07T09:03:05ZMr Robot star Rami Malek to play Freddie Mercury in Queen biopichttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/nov/04/rami-malek-mr-robot-freddie-mercury-queen-biopic
<p>The actor – who won an Emmy for his performance as neurotic hacker Elliot Alderson in Mr Robot – will play the Queen frontman in Bohemian Rhapsody</p><p>Rami Malek, the star of Mr Robot, is the latest actor who has signed on to play Freddie Mercury in the troubled biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.</p><p>The actor – who won an Emmy for his performance as neurotic hacker Elliot Alderson in Mr Robot – will play the Queen frontman, with X-Men: Apocalypse director Bryan Singer in talks to direct.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/jul/14/mr-robot-rami-malek-the-world-is-chaos">Mr Robot's Rami Malek: 'The world is in chaos – and all we do is hyperconsume'</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/nov/04/rami-malek-mr-robot-freddie-mercury-queen-biopic">Continue reading...</a>Freddie MercuryFilmMr RobotCultureMusicTelevision & radioQueenFri, 04 Nov 2016 23:39:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/nov/04/rami-malek-mr-robot-freddie-mercury-queen-biopicPhotograph: John Lamparski/WireImagePhotograph: John Lamparski/WireImageGuardian staff2016-11-04T23:39:09ZRock star: asteroid named after Freddie Mercury to celebrate singer's 70th birthdayhttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/05/rock-star-asteroid-named-after-freddie-mercury-to-celebrate-singers-70th-birthday-queen
<p>Queen guitarist Brian May announced that asteroid 17473 a 3.5km-wide ball of black rubble on the other side of Mars, will be known as “Freddiemercury”</p><p>Celebrations to mark Freddie Mercury’s 70th birthday received a cosmic boost on Sunday night as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/profile/brian-may">Brian May</a>, Queen’s lead guitarist, announced that an asteroid nearly half a billion kilometres away had been named after the late singer.</p><p>In a move that links one of the most dazzling stars in history to one of the darker rocks in the solar system the International Astronomical Union confirmed that <a href="http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi#top">asteroid 17473</a>, a 3.5km-wide ball of black rubble on the other side of Mars, shall henceforth be known as “Freddiemercury”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/05/rock-star-asteroid-named-after-freddie-mercury-to-celebrate-singers-70th-birthday-queen">Continue reading...</a>Freddie MercurySpaceAstronomyScienceAsteroidsBrian MayMon, 05 Sep 2016 11:37:42 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/05/rock-star-asteroid-named-after-freddie-mercury-to-celebrate-singers-70th-birthday-queenPhotograph: Screengrab of asteroid named after Freddie MercuryPhotograph: Screengrab of asteroid named after Freddie MercuryIan Sample Science editor2016-09-05T11:37:42ZAsteroid to be named after Freddie Mercury in honour of his 70th birthday – videohttps://www.theguardian.com/music/video/2016/sep/05/asteroid-to-be-named-after-freddie-mercury-in-honour-of-his-70th-birthday-video
<p>Brian May announces the news that an asteroid is to be named after his former Queen bandmate Freddie Mercury to mark the occasion of his 70th birthday on 5 September. Mercury died in 1991 at the age of 45 due to Aids complications, but remains a British rock icon. The asteroid is to be called ‘FreddieMercury 17473’ and was first discovered in the year of Mercury’s death</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/video/2016/sep/05/asteroid-to-be-named-after-freddie-mercury-in-honour-of-his-70th-birthday-video">Continue reading...</a>Freddie MercurySpaceBrian MayAsteroidsQueenScienceMon, 05 Sep 2016 11:27:57 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/video/2016/sep/05/asteroid-to-be-named-after-freddie-mercury-in-honour-of-his-70th-birthday-videoPhotograph: Screengrab of asteroid named after Freddie MercuryPhotograph: Screengrab of asteroid named after Freddie MercuryGuardian Staff2016-09-05T11:27:57ZFreddie Mercury's modest London home gets blue plaquehttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/01/freddie-mercury-feltham-london-home-blue-plaque
<p>Neighbours in suburb of Feltham remember noisy neighbour who became flamboyant Queen star</p><p>The present occupier of Freddie Mercury’s bedroom in the London suburb of Feltham, nine-year-old Daria Mihailuka, was playing it cool amid the hordes of media camped on her narrow street of brick and pebble-dash terraced houses. “I’m not like his greatest fan,” she said of the late Queen singer. “I’m more into modern music – I like Justin Bieber.”</p><p>But Daria said Mercury’s trajectory, from the springboard of the small suburban bedroom to one of the biggest pop stars in the world, was an inspiration. “I want to be a singer-actor-dancer, and I am a good achiever – my vocal skills can get better – and he shows me that you can start out just right here and become a huge star.”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/01/freddie-mercury-feltham-london-home-blue-plaque">Continue reading...</a>Freddie MercuryHeritageLondonCultureMusicUK newsQueenThu, 01 Sep 2016 14:15:34 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/01/freddie-mercury-feltham-london-home-blue-plaquePhotograph: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty ImagesMaev Kennedy2016-09-01T14:15:34ZReaders recommend: share songs with extraordinary vocalshttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/may/26/readers-recommend-share-songs-with-extraordinary-vocals
<p>Our reader suggests Janis Joplin or Freddie Mercury as jumping off points: make your suggestion in the comments and they’ll pick a playlist next week<br></p><p>This week we want your musical recommendations with unusual or extraordinary vocals. Maybe the voice is extraordinary or distinctive to begin with, or a particular vocal performance is out-of-this-world? Either way, and however you interpret what the word ‘extraordinary’ constitutes – pick your tune and make your suggestions now.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/feb/01/janis-joplin-little-girl-blue">Janis: Little Girl Blue – a heartfelt account of a remarkable talent</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/may/26/readers-recommend-share-songs-with-extraordinary-vocals">Continue reading...</a>MusicJanis JoplinFreddie MercuryCultureThu, 26 May 2016 19:00:10 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/may/26/readers-recommend-share-songs-with-extraordinary-vocalsPhotograph: Cine Text/Allstar/Sportsphoto Ltd./AllstarPhotograph: Cine Text/Allstar/Sportsphoto Ltd./AllstarGuardian music2016-05-26T19:00:10ZFreddie Mercury’s lyric-filled notebook to go on sale at auctionhttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/20/freddie-mercury-lyric-notebook-sale-auction-queen
<p>Queen singer used pad to write lyrics for 19 songs, including Too Much Love Will Kill You and The Show Must Go On </p><p>A notebook used by <a draggable="true" href="http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/sep/27/freddie-mercury-great-enigma">Freddie Mercury</a> for nearly three years and which contains lyrics for some of his final songs is to be auctioned in the UK.</p><p>Bonhams is offering the Queen frontman’s personal pad, which he carried around between 1988 and 1990.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/20/freddie-mercury-lyric-notebook-sale-auction-queen">Continue reading...</a>Freddie MercuryQueenMusicUK newsCultureWed, 20 Apr 2016 10:17:12 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/20/freddie-mercury-lyric-notebook-sale-auction-queenPhotograph: Carl PerssonPhotograph: Carl PerssonMark Brown Arts correspondent2016-04-20T10:17:12ZBrian May lashes out at Sacha Baron Cohen over Freddie Mercury biopichttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/10/brian-may-lashes-out-at-sacha-baron-cohen-over-freddie-mercury-biopic
<p>Queen guitarist criticises Ali G actor for becoming ‘an arse’ and telling ‘untruths’ about the project in the press</p><p>Queen’s Brian May has lashed out at Sacha Baron Cohen, declared he is not a fan of David Cameron and said he would love to stop Donald Trump. </p><p>Cohen was in talks with May and Roger Taylor about playing the part of Freddie Mercury in a long-awaited biopic, but the talks broke down and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/mar/09/sacha-baron-cohen-freddie-mercury-biopic-queen">Cohen spoke to the press about the process</a>, which drew criticism from the guitarist. </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/mar/09/sacha-baron-cohen-freddie-mercury-biopic-queen">Sacha Baron Cohen: I quit Freddie Mercury biopic after dispute with Queen</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/10/brian-may-lashes-out-at-sacha-baron-cohen-over-freddie-mercury-biopic">Continue reading...</a>QueenFreddie MercurySacha Baron CohenFilmCultureMusicUK newsSun, 10 Apr 2016 11:30:59 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/10/brian-may-lashes-out-at-sacha-baron-cohen-over-freddie-mercury-biopicPhotograph: PAPhotograph: PAPress Association2016-04-10T11:30:59ZSacha Baron Cohen's Queen fallout and The Ones Below reviewed – the Dailies podcasthttps://www.theguardian.com/film/audio/2016/mar/09/sacha-baron-cohens-queen-fallout-and-the-ones-below-reviewed-the-dailies-podcast
<p>The Guardian film team’s round-up of Wednesday’s movie news and reviews</p><p>Your daily update of the latest news and reviews from the Guardian film team. Now showing: Sacha Baron Cohen has revealed why he decided against playing Freddie Mercury (it’s understandable); and a review of Hitchockian British thriller The Ones Below.</p><p>Follow us on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/guardianfilm">GuardianFilm</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/HenryHBarnes">Henry</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/benfraserlee">Ben</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/catherineshoard">Catherine</a> and producer <a href="https://twitter.com/ClassicKitteh">Rowan</a>) and check out our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/guardianfilm">Facebook page</a>. Comment on the show below.<br>Further reading:</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/audio/2016/mar/09/sacha-baron-cohens-queen-fallout-and-the-ones-below-reviewed-the-dailies-podcast">Continue reading...</a>FilmCultureSacha Baron CohenQueenFreddie MercuryWed, 09 Mar 2016 13:13:22 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/audio/2016/mar/09/sacha-baron-cohens-queen-fallout-and-the-ones-below-reviewed-the-dailies-podcastPhotograph: PR ImagePhotograph: PR ImagePresented by Benjamin Lee with Catherine Shoard and produced by Rowan Slaney and Linsey McFadden2016-03-09T13:13:22ZSacha Baron Cohen: I quit Freddie Mercury biopic after dispute with Queenhttps://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/mar/09/sacha-baron-cohen-freddie-mercury-biopic-queen
<p>Comedian says unnamed band member had wanted the second half of the planned film to show how ‘the band carries on from strength to strength’</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/audio/2016/mar/09/sacha-baron-cohens-queen-fallout-and-the-ones-below-reviewed-the-dailies-podcast">Sacha Baron Cohen's Queen fallout and The Ones Below reviewed – the Dailies podcast</a> </p><p>Sacha Baron Cohen has revealed he walked away from a high-profile role as Freddie Mercury because the surviving members of Queen wanted a substantial part of the film to focus on them.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jul/23/sacha-baron-cohen-queen-freddie-mercury">Sacha Baron Cohen quits Freddie Mercury film</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/mar/09/sacha-baron-cohen-freddie-mercury-biopic-queen">Continue reading...</a>Sacha Baron CohenFilmCultureQueenMusicFreddie MercuryBiopicsRadioTelevision & radioUS newsWorld newsWed, 09 Mar 2016 10:44:18 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/mar/09/sacha-baron-cohen-freddie-mercury-biopic-queenPhotograph: Robin Marchant/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Robin Marchant/Getty ImagesBen Child2016-03-09T10:44:18ZThe Sheen effect: breaking the HIV taboo, one celebrity at a timehttps://www.theguardian.com/society/shortcuts/2016/feb/28/sheen-effect-breaking-hiv-taboo-one-celebrity-at-time
<p>When Charlie Sheen went public with his diagnosis, related web searches rocketed. He wasn’t the first famous person to boost awareness but, thanks to the web, it was the first time we could measure the impact</p><p>It has been dubbed the Sheen effect: the ability of a celebrity to raise awareness by disclosing a condition. In Charlie Sheen’s case, it was HIV. On 17 November last year, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2015/nov/17/charlie-sheen-im-hiv-positive-video" title="">when the actor announced he was HIV positive during an NBC interview</a>, the number of Google-related searches containing the word “HIV” rocketed.</p><p>Last week, a study published in the <a href="http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/journal.aspx" title="">Journal of the American Medical Association’s Internal Medicine</a> showed by how much – 417%.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/shortcuts/2016/feb/28/sheen-effect-breaking-hiv-taboo-one-celebrity-at-time">Continue reading...</a>Aids and HIVSocietyCharlie SheenFreddie MercuryCelebritySun, 28 Feb 2016 16:00:28 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/shortcuts/2016/feb/28/sheen-effect-breaking-hiv-taboo-one-celebrity-at-timePhotograph: Peter Kramer/APPhotograph: Peter Kramer/APChitra Ramaswamy2016-02-28T16:00:28ZFreddie Mercury and Ava Gardner in eclectic gang honoured with blue plaqueshttps://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/feb/25/freddie-mercury-and-ava-gardner-in-eclectic-gang-honoured-with-blue-plaques
<p>Rock star’s Feltham home and actor’s ‘little retreat’ in Knightsbridge among properties to get plaques in scheme’s 150th year</p><p>The memory of Sir Freddie Mercury, one of the most flamboyant and glamorous figures in the history of rock music, will be celebrated this year with a blue plaque on his home in the west London suburb of Feltham.<br></p><p>He will join an eclectic group being honoured in the 150th year of the much loved scheme, which writes a history of London’s more remarkable residents on its walls. Memorials will also go up to the Hollywood star Ava Gardner, as famous for her lovers and marriages as for her films; the footballer Bobby Moore who led England to World Cup victory half a century ago; and the Irish Nobel laureate Samuel Beckett, whose life and work are far more associated with his adopted home in Paris than either Dublin or London.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/feb/25/freddie-mercury-and-ava-gardner-in-eclectic-gang-honoured-with-blue-plaques">Continue reading...</a>HeritageCultureFreddie MercuryMusicPop and rockFilmSamuel BeckettUK newsThu, 25 Feb 2016 15:21:45 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/feb/25/freddie-mercury-and-ava-gardner-in-eclectic-gang-honoured-with-blue-plaquesPhotograph: Ilpo Musto / Rex FeaturesPhotograph: Ilpo Musto / Rex FeaturesMaev Kennedy2016-02-25T15:21:45ZRock star cars: under the bonnets of Johnny Cash, Snoop Dogg and Dolly Parton – in pictureshttps://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2015/nov/26/rock-star-cars-johnny-cash-snoop-dogg-dolly-parton-in-pictures
<p>A new book entitled <a href="http://www.hive.co.uk/Product/David-Roberts/Rock-Stars-Cars/17698768?gclid=CO6Ri8f7rckCFcHNGwodBRcBsg">Rock Stars Cars</a> details the vehicles of some of the most revered musicians in rock, rap and pop history - take a look at some of its highlights </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2015/nov/26/rock-star-cars-johnny-cash-snoop-dogg-dolly-parton-in-pictures">Continue reading...</a>MusicCultureJohnny CashDolly PartonMiles DavisTom PettyBryan FerryJanis JoplinMorrisseyFreddie MercurySnoop DoggBruce SpringsteenThu, 26 Nov 2015 15:01:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2015/nov/26/rock-star-cars-johnny-cash-snoop-dogg-dolly-parton-in-picturesPhotograph: Rock Stars Cars, published by Red PlanetPhotograph: Rock Stars Cars, published by Red PlanetGuardian music2015-11-26T15:01:02ZHIV is no longer always a death sentencehttps://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/nov/17/hiv-is-no-longer-always-a-death-sentence
<p>Charlie Sheen is one of 35 million people living with the virus and treatments mean he is likely to be able to keep illness at bay</p><p>In 1985, when a shocked world learned that the actor Rock Hudson had Aids, and six years later, when Queen’s lead singer, Freddie Mercury, died the day after he had made his diagnosis public, HIV was a death sentence and carried a massive stigma.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/nov/17/charlie-sheen-reveals-hiv-positive">Charlie Sheen reveals he is HIV positive: 'It's a hard three letters to absorb'</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/nov/17/hiv-is-no-longer-always-a-death-sentence">Continue reading...</a>Charlie SheenCultureAids and HIVSocietyHealthWorld newsUS newsFreddie MercuryMusicInfectious diseasesMedical researchMicrobiologyBiologyScienceTue, 17 Nov 2015 15:00:44 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/nov/17/hiv-is-no-longer-always-a-death-sentencePhotograph: Andrew Burton/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Andrew Burton/Getty ImagesSarah Boseley Health editor2015-11-17T15:00:44ZReaders recommend: songs about crowns | Peter Kimptonhttps://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/nov/12/readers-recommend-songs-about-crowns
<p>How does this wear? In title or lyrics, literal, metaphorical or idiomatic, pick your musical jewels covering anything associated with this symbolic headgear<br></p><p>“A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in,” said Frederick the Great, military tactical genius, expansive invader, and proponent of enlightened absolutism, who liked to spend as much time playing the flute and composing music as on so-called kingly matters. He was right. The crown is, as history proves, a ridiculous accessory. And yet so many strive for it. Symbolic and priceless as it is, Shakespeare nailed it with the phrase “uneasy lies the head that wears a crown” (Henry IV Part 2). <br></p><p>On a literal level, this often bejewelled headgear is the heavy bling of history with a sparkle that can attract false followers, bring insecure power and provoke paranoia. But while the crown’s shape and finery is designed to signify wholeness, glory and unity, what often lies in the centre, as Frederick said, is more akin to a hole. Kings have for centuries bled their own country of resources, and then wondered, when visiting the estates of their supporters, why there is not enough left on which to wine and dine. A parallel <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/11/david-cameron-letter-cuts-oxfordshire">leadership empty-headedness has come to light this week with a certain prime minister</a> wondering why even his local Tory Oxfordshire county council has cut back so severely on public services. Perhaps take a look inside your own head, Mr C?</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/nov/12/readers-recommend-songs-about-crowns">Continue reading...</a>MusicPop and rockHip-hopSoulKylie MinogueMadonnaMonarchyReggaeIndieDance musicDavid CameronGame of ThronesGeorge RR MartinBooksFather TedComedyComedyFilmCulturePoliticsTelevisionFolk musicWilliam ShakespeareQueenFreddie MercuryThu, 12 Nov 2015 20:00:06 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/nov/12/readers-recommend-songs-about-crownsPhotograph: Ilpo Musto / Rex FeaturesPhotograph: Ilpo Musto / Rex FeaturesPeter Kimpton2015-11-12T20:00:06Z40 years of Bohemian Rhapsody: exclusive shots of Queen – in pictureshttps://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2015/nov/04/bohemian-rhapsody-queen-exclusive-shots-hammersmith-1975-in-pictures
<p>It’s the 40th anniversary of Queen’s six-minute rock opera. To celebrate, here are some unpublished images from their 1975 Christmas Eve show in London – <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDedHYIxj7g&amp;feature=youtu.be">the film of which is released on DVD this month</a> – and the climax of the Queen Invite You to a Night at the Opera Tour, which unleashed the epic track on the world</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2015/nov/04/bohemian-rhapsody-queen-exclusive-shots-hammersmith-1975-in-pictures">Continue reading...</a>QueenPop and rockPhotographyFreddie MercuryCultureMusicArt and designWed, 04 Nov 2015 12:02:47 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2015/nov/04/bohemian-rhapsody-queen-exclusive-shots-hammersmith-1975-in-picturesPhotograph: Douglas PuddifootPhotograph: Douglas PuddifootGuardian music2015-11-04T12:02:47ZMusical statues: when musicians get turned into bad arthttps://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2015/sep/11/musical-statues-when-musicians-get-turned-into-bad-art
<p>With Kirriemuir in Scotland set to unveil a statue of AC/DC’s Bon Scott, we look back at some abominations of the artform …</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2015/sep/11/musical-statues-when-musicians-get-turned-into-bad-art">Continue reading...</a>MusicPop and rockAC/DCAmy WinehouseLudwig van BeethovenPaul McCartneyJohn LennonFreddie MercuryBuddy HollyMichael JacksonCultureFri, 11 Sep 2015 11:15:37 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2015/sep/11/musical-statues-when-musicians-get-turned-into-bad-artPhotograph: Phil Hill/REX ShutterstockPhotograph: Phil Hill/REX ShutterstockGuardian music2015-09-11T11:15:37ZViral video: Channing Tatum, Kanye West, Freddie Mercury and Examplehttps://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/10/channing-tatum-kanye-west-freddie-mercury-example
<p>Magic Mike actor busts some moves, Queen star knocks out the king of rap, Example’s selfie stick-up and Jack Black gives us Goosebumps</p><p>We’ve got quite a musical theme going on this week, starting with some <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQBWyLSbnw4">nifty dance moves </a>from Magic Mike star Channing Tatum and an imagined battle between Kanye West and Freddie Mercury <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwN6dPNXklg">singing Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody</a>. If West’s performance was a little surprising, then you’ll love the shock on the faces of a club crowd when the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0RX5Nvd62k">DJ switches </a>to Spandau Ballet’s golden oldie True.</p><p>Example’s latest video for the song Whisky Story came out on Thursday and is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQceqbA7kFI">filmed using a selfie stick on the London Underground</a> – ironic timing given the tube strike.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/10/channing-tatum-kanye-west-freddie-mercury-example">Continue reading...</a>Channing TatumKanye WestMusicExampleJack BlackCultureFreddie MercuryQueenUK newsTechnologyDigital mediaInternetMediaFilmFri, 10 Jul 2015 06:25:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/10/channing-tatum-kanye-west-freddie-mercury-examplePhotograph: public domainPhotograph: public domainJanette Owen2015-07-10T06:25:07ZJim Davidson’s white nights with Freddie and Kenny are a real cocaine hellhttps://www.theguardian.com/stage/lostinshowbiz/2015/apr/16/jim-davidson-freddie-mercury-kenny-everett-real-cocaine-hell
<p>The comedian claims he spent much of the 90s snorting coke with the late Queen singer Freddie Mercury and funnyman Kenny Everett. Anyone buy his implausible bohemian rhapsody?</p><p>Come, readers, and venture back in time with Lost in Showbiz: peel away the years and journey to London past. There, we can cast our eyes over an image that sums up a lost era, more outrageous and decadent than our own. Picture the scene: perhaps in the secret back room of a nightclub, reserved for VIPs, or perhaps in a humble lavatory cubicle, we find three legendary libertine pleasure-seekers, eyes wild, in the midst of a night of crazed, hang-the-consequences gratification, lines of cocaine chopped out before them. One is the late Freddie Mercury, frontman of Queen and notorious bon vivant. The second is his close friend and drug-buddy Kenny Everett, the broadcasting genius who concealed his ravenous appetites for hedonism from the public behind his “Cuddly Ken” persona. And the third? Need you ask? The third is, of course, Jim Davidson.</p><p>Such was the deeply unlikely scenario <a href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/6412066/Jim-Davidson-blasts-the-campaign-to-legalise-drugs.html" title="">presented to readers of the Sun this week</a>, in a piece headlined “I Took So Much Coke I Wanted Extra Nostrils Says Jim Davidson”, the comedian sharing his “cocaine hell” in order to “blast the campaign to legalise drugs”: I know, I know, thank God someone’s stepped in to put a stop to the imminent legalisation of cocaine. Let it be clear: LiS is not for a moment mocking the illness of addiction, nor Davidson’s doubtless sterling charity work in that area. It’s merely the details of his story that give it thoughtful pause. “When I sniffed a line, it gave me a huge buzz … but as soon as that started wearing off, I wanted more. I would be back in the toilets with Freddie and Kenny, taking line after line. Drugs were everywhere in showbiz in the Nineties. We would all congregate in nightclubs like Stringfellows … and just get on it.” Later he expands on the lunacy that would seize him while in the grip of the old pop’n’chop: “I’d get to midnight and I’d&nbsp;say, ‘Fuck it, let’s go to Guernsey’, then wake up and wonder why the hell&nbsp;I was there.”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/lostinshowbiz/2015/apr/16/jim-davidson-freddie-mercury-kenny-everett-real-cocaine-hell">Continue reading...</a>Jim DavidsonDrugsFreddie MercuryKenny EverettStageMusicCelebrityLife and styleSocietyThu, 16 Apr 2015 17:30:52 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/stage/lostinshowbiz/2015/apr/16/jim-davidson-freddie-mercury-kenny-everett-real-cocaine-hellPhotograph: Felix Clay for the GuardianPhotograph: Felix Clay for the GuardianAlexis Petridis2015-04-16T17:30:52Z